The first triple crown of the year hit Houston and it was kind of a snore fest in the 250 class but the 450 class proved to have some fireworks. Here are a few things that you may not know from Houston.
Cooper Webb: Anyone surprised? Not me! We heard on the Pulp Show a couple weeks ago that Coop was forced back to Florida to reset and do his work at the farm. Well it looks like either that forced move worked orrrrrrr Cooper Webb got pissed off enough and he finally won a race. If you would have asked me before A1 if Coop would win a race by now, I would of said ‘yes”. It took until the fourth round but remember when I told you last week that he’s not out of it? Well, he’s only 17 points back now and we are almost headed back east but I don’t know if Phoenix is going to be the place where he goes back to back? I have a feeling that Tomac or Hunter will be better in Arizona. I do however think that Cooper will make a run at this title and it will come down to the last couple races for the championship. Also, Coop was running a lock on style left grip so I will be inspecting this a bit more. The right side is a G2 throttle tube so no “lock on” there but going with the left side “lock on” is interesting. Unlike Justin Cooper, Webb is on the hydraulic clutch still for 2026. However, it is not the typical 2026 Nissin system that you see on the production bike.
H-Law: Damn it! ALMOST! Hunter’s first win is coming and if it wasn’t for that costly crash in the first main, he would have had it! It’s crazy to me that Honda and Hunter are still working on set up for this 2026 year. You would have thought that they had a setting from last year but as usual things evolve as do the riders so Hunter is looking for more comfort and planted feel from this front end. From what I was told, they found some of that one the week leading into Houston. Looks like it worked! ALMOST!
Mookie: For a guy that had a huge crash at A1, the result at Houston was a success in my eyes. Mookie is not riding much during the week and letting his body heal from the A1 ordeal. Honestly, I think not riding as much at the first part of the year will help him on the back side of the series. Some riders might be wearing down, but Mookie might be on the upswing. I am not sitting here saying that an injury is a good thing but sometimes these things tend to allow a rider to rest a bit more and that gives the rider a more relaxed/more energized feel as the series moves on.
Garrett Marchbanks: If you guys could see Garrett at the test tracks during the week you would think the dude is going to get top 5 on the weekend! I think G is trending in the right direction but he needs better starts to feel the leaders pace. I think being back in the pack early in these races is not helping him to get up to where I think he could be. Marchbanks just needs a little time and I think he will be cracking top tens regularly. The last two weeks have been looking good but he needs just a bit more time with racing these top dudes. I think our sport gives up on riders a little too early so let’s not write Garrett off yet. He’s doing EXACTLY what he needs to do right now. Do the laps and learn!
Ferrandis: The results are are not indicative to how Dylan is riding! He is riding good and a seventh in the last main event proves this. This year with how good everyone is, a start is crucial and I think that if Dylan gets a start he can be top 5. His speed is that good. Also, the TLD/Red Bull Ducati team’s machine is evolving and getting better according to the team so look for the Ducati to start creeping up the results! There is some trick parts on this machine like a bearing type front engine mount that allows for more front end traction for Dylan. Pretty cool!
Deegs: A finger gun, a dap and three W’s was what we witnessed on Saturday night from the 1w. Say what you want, but the kid is freaking amazing on the bike and hopefully we get to see him at Daytona on the 450, but I would NOT count on it. It is comical to hear the post race podium interviews but I think most of the riders know the motives behind all this by now.
Kitch: Better weekend for Levi but that early round raw speed and confidence I think was somewhat damaged before Houston so this second place result was a good way to build it back up. I was also told that Roczen has been helping Levi with his starts in hopes he could get some better positioning on the opening laps which possibly could have helped him at Houston.
Mac: Anyone else see Cameron towing Deegs in qualifying? Smart! When Deegs is on a burner, a lot of the times you will see Mcadoo trying to get a tow which to me is a smart move in order for Mac to feel the speed of Deegan. I think as the series goes on, you will see a speedier Mac because he is learning (again) the feel of the front runners. He has the speed and his fitness is getting better so look for more podiums from the 142. I don’t know if anyone has the speed to beat Deegan, but podiums will keep you on a good bike/team and that is the goal I think right? Stay on a good team, remain healthy and go after a title in 2027 in SX!
SMX Next: We had some carnage going down in the last SMX Next qualifier. Kade Johnson as well as Kaden Minear both didn’t make the night show due to the crashes they had in the last qualifier. Sure, we could blame it on how rough the track was as the second SMX Next qualifier was the last to run during the day program but I also think some of the blame is the “send it” type ways of these kids. These kids are going for it at all times and sometimes shit happens when you’re trying to get to that next level. The track isn’t always to blame for these crashes. Some of these kids need to turn their brains on and their “send it” levels down. Caden Dudney is the class of the field since Minear was missing but Wey and Denno weren’t that far off. Wey has improved so much with technique and speed but that late moto mistake cost him. I think if it wasn’t for that crash with Denno, Wey gets a second. Denno is also another kid whose technique and speed have evolved good enough to put him in 250 East. I think he is ready for the big show as well as Dudney. If I was a betting man, I think both of these kids line up in Arlington.
